Indonesia

What you need to know as a tourist of Indonesia?

The Indonesian cuisine is extremely diverse, flavourful, colourful and vibrant. The multiple ethnicities also adds to flare of the cuisine where rice is the staple food. This is served along with various spices, coconut mi ... read more

Indonesia

What you need to know as a tourist of Indonesia?

The Indonesian cuisine is extremely diverse, flavourful, colourful and vibrant. The multiple ethnicities also adds to flare of the cuisine where rice is the staple food. This is served along with various spices, coconut milk, meat and vegetables in the form of various dishes such as sate, soto, rendang, tempeh and the national dish of the country; tumpeng. Indonesia, by virtue of being a cash-based country with a not-so-efficient banking sector, does not accept international credit cards at most points of sale. Hence, using of cash, which comprises of both the Indonesian Rupiah and the US Dollar is relatively much safer and less cumbersome.

Indonesia lacks a very good domestic healthcare industry. The citizens of the country travel to other locations to get their treatment. Thus, travellers and tourists should try to avoid needing medical assistance. The Indonesians are very courteous and respectful people. They also expect tourists to be equally as courteous and respect the country and its culture. It is advised that travellers be aware of the local customs and traditions of Indonesia’s many ethnic communities.

The Visa requirements for Indonesia are largely liberal and open. Most North American and European nations can obtain a Visa form from the nearby Indonesia Embassy for a visit of 30 days. An average backpacker’s budget in the country is close to 180000 rupiah or $ 25 which includes, accommodation, food, water, local transport and entertainment and any other miscellaneous expenditure which include treks. The food that can be purchased in Indonesia is extremely cheap, and the accommodation isn’t too heavy on the budget depending on the city of accommodation. The entrance fee at the many tourist destinations can increase the budget slightly, but are halved in the case of students. There are many temple entrance fees that are charged.

The regions of Java, Sumatra, and Bali are extremely famous and are the focal points of tourist attraction in Indonesia along with the many ancient temples such as Prambanan and Borobadur.

How ecologically aware and developed is Indonesia?

Indonesia boasts of a unique combination of a tropical climate, vast archipelago and long stretch of beaches. The country is also gifted with a well-preserved natural ecosystem.

To add to the biodiversity of the region, the archipelago is also home to 20% of the world's coral reefs, over 3,000 different species of fish and an endless variety of macro life. Another popular outlet of eco-tours in Indonesia is scuba diving which is both excellent and inexpensive.

The Bunaken National Marine Park, along with the other 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as the Komodo National Park, Cultural Landscape of Bali, Ujung Kulon National Park, Lorentz National Park, Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra, which comprises of national parks on the island of Sumatra: Gunung Leuser National Park, Kerinci Seblat National Park and the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park make for the bulk of the natural habitat and ecology of the country which is largely abundant with flora and fauna.

The eco-tourism of the country is thus a thriving industry. The multiple national parks and biodiversity hotspots are well-protected by governmental rules and any sort of lessening the natural habitat is strictly prohibited. However, the animal protection laws in the country is less stringent. Hence many species indigenous to the region are being recorded as endangered species.